Wn68 St-Laurent-sur-Mer les Moulins ouest (Omaha Beach)

 

Wn68 coloured red showing that the main defence originated on the beach front but with the intervention of Rommel, a stronger defence was being built up behind the anti tank ditch.

Les Braves is a war memorial that is located on the shores of Omaha Beach in the village of St-Laurent-sur-Mer in Normandy, France and commemorates the fallen American soldiers, of World War ll who have lost their lives on the beaches of Normandy, June 6th 1944.

This is how it looked on D-Day itself. 18 Tanks on the tide line and troops on the beach, none have penetrated inland yet. The very large anti-tank ditch running left and right can be seen.

The site of the 5cm KwK L/60 in an Nr1694 open emplacement.

The picture is an Nr1694 at Wn65, not here. But it gives an idea of what the Nr1694 would have looked like with inside a 5cm KwK L/60 Pak gun. It was bolted down on a ring of hold fast bolts and could cover 360°. How this emplacement got on on D-Day I do not know. Its gun would have been very effective against the small landing craft and Sherman tanks coming ashore but would also be vulnerable to incoming fire from even light A/A guns on landing craft as it had only its thin shield to protect it.

Around the middle of the beach was a Tobruk probably a bf58c

The next was a Tobruk. Now this would have been a devastating machine gun to the Americans coming out of the water. The gun in this one in the picture is an MG.34 but t could have been many different types.

The next position on the left flank was a machine gun nest, this is another position I have not seen any photos of it as just after D-Day the whole area was gradually bulldozed flat so that LST's could come in and disgorge their cargoes strait onto the beach.

This is around where the Tobruk and Machine gun bunkers were placed with adjoining trench system. In the background to the right was where the rest of Wn68 was placed.

This photo is was taken by an American flying his Lightening fighter fitted with cameras and no guns. The Rommel Asparagus has started to sprout but a lot more would be in place a month later.

This is the western run of the anti-tank ditch which covered the whole front of Wn68/67/66.

VK3001 tank turret Ringstand with its 7.5cm KwK 37 L/24 tank turret fitted to a PzKpfw-IV-Ausf. These tanks were becoming redundant due to the heavier gunned and armoured Tiger and Panther. So the spare turrets were sat on Vf246 Ringstand bunkers. Ready ammunition laid out around the turret space and an ammunition room. Also a small crew room. This is possibly just after it had been completion.

Its a complete tank turret as in the original with the crew sitting in a cage (as in the tank) that turned 360°s and would have a very heavy punch for a 7.5cm KwK L/24 gun. Manually operated by a crew of two. This emplacement was held by Gefreiter Gustav Winter, 726th Infantry Regiment, 716th Static Infantry Division. An ex Panzer gunner who served in Russia and was invalided home with very bad frostbite. It was so bad on one hand that armourers had modified the turret mechanisms to help him use them. Used to being in a Pzkpfw.II turret he was very qualified when transferred to Normandy to command and fire this style of tank turret. At first light on the 6th June 1944, lights were seen flashing over the sea and then hundreds of naval shells came out of the sea throwing up tons of sand and earth making it very hard to see. The 17year old Czech lad he had as a loader was so frightened he cowered in the bottom of the bunker. He had not seen any action and was terrified. Then bombers went over and we had quite a few near misses. Then he managed to get the young lad to come around and get into a fighting position, but it was hard to see out of the periscope/gun site as there was quite a lot of smoke and dust about. The gun position of the 5cm KwK on the beach flashed a green signal to me as we had no radio or land line communications. So at least we were not on our own. He said he saw some rippled explosions (Bangalore torpedo clearing barbed wire) and then a tank (Sherman) started coming over the sea wall. He fired at the white star on the Sherman but the round just ricocheted of the steel. The Sherman then fired at me and hit the gun mantle. Another round from a Sherman came inside and hit his loader. I managed to slide out of the hatch and hide behind the turret. I could see the Sherman's firing at the Pak and in the end it stopped firing. He was eventually captured and taken strait back to a POW camp in England. This story comes from "D-Day Through German Eyes" Concrete Panzer. This was the only VK3001 turret on Omaha Beach (there was other but the turret installed at Wn67). This is also in "Landing on the Edge" Google books. Also "VK30.01(H) (Panzerkampfwagen VI)"

A plan for a VK 3001 tank turret on a BF246 emplacement with an ex- Pzkpfw.II Flamingo 7.5 cm KwK 37.

In the background is a wooden observation post.

These are my words, “From here any of the Fire Control Officers could call down artillery/mortar fire onto the beach. Also the Nebelwerfer batterie just in land at Wn89”. Since writing this, I have been told that this observation tower, may have been made by the American Beach Party, who could see and order the landing craft into the beach. Post D-Day. Probably when the shelling of the beach had stopped. The Luftwaffe also had units of about three strong, just coast watching for any aircraft coming in. Mostly very low and trying to get under the radar.

Vf67 Tobruk for a Pz.T. R35 turret Its tucked down below the larger tank turret almost making it redundant or maybe it has not been placed on its Tobruk.

Two pictures of the R667 casemate under construction.

Looking back on the trenched area along the crest of the cliff, machine guns would have been firing all along the beach, well those that survived the bombing, shelling and rocket fire.

The road coming up from the village takes you past the Doppel MG. Stand. Drive past and park safely and walk back.

The view up from the road. One embrasure can clearly be seen.

First you find from the top a Tobruk covering the southern flank of the bunker.

Looking at the Tobruk inside.

One part of the Doppel MG. Stand with its embrasure and bolts for a 48P8 close combat defence embrasure.

Looking the other way and another close combat embrasure also showing the bolts in the wall and angle iron supports for a table to sit a machine gun.

The six threads to secure the close combat embrasure to the wall. The window could be closed off in bad weather or if being shot at to protect the gunner.

The entrance/exit and a small storage space.

The entrance/exit now almost filled in.

Two very keen looking bunker hunters, I think waiting for the bar to open for a quick beer and off again.

    On 6th June 1944, the 1st and 29th U.S. Infantry Divisions were responsible for establishing a bridgehead here on Omaha Beach. The 6km (4miles) long beachhead been decided into three large sectors, code-named from west to east : "Dog" facing Vierville, "Easy", facing Saint-Laurent, and "Fox", facing Colleville.     The Germans had fortified the cliff with concrete bunkers, installed numerous obstacles on the beach, and built anti-tank ditches and walls at the entrances to the valleys leading to the three villages.     The GI s, who had been landed here since 6.30am, had to take cover from German fire, first behind the pebble bank, then at the foot of the cliffs on either side of the small valley.     Finally, between 8am and 9am, several groups succeeded in scaling the cliffs and managed to regroup on the plateau. After a fierce battle, the village of Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer was liberated on 7th June at around 9am.

I think Capa who took this photo landed slightly to the east of Wn68.

Sherman drowned tank, odd as it has no breather and exhaust vents on the engine deck.

These two pictures of a DD Sherman look the same tank taken from either direction.

On the top deck of an over loaded LST. Landing Ship Tank.

LST unloading on Omaha Beach.

LST's drying out. They came in on a high tide and as the tide went out, they bottomed and have to stay until the next tide. Made from a British specification in America.

The first looks an earlier picture The anti-tank wall covering the draw. It should have been a steel reinforced wall but the builders omitted to add steel and that way it was easier for the Americans to break through it.

LST's and landing craft queuing up to unload at D-3 Draw. One of only five ways off this beach. Note the area has been scoured over by bulldozers and cleared of any old defences.